Former First Lady Michelle Obama says she hopes her daughters learn “the art of saying no” from her skipping Donald Trump’s inauguration in January.
Speaking with actress Taraji P. Henson on Obama’s “IMO” podcast with her brother Craig Robinson, the former first lady defended her decision to skip the January 20 inauguration ceremony while her husband went.
“People couldn’t believe that I was saying no for any other reason, that they had to assume that my marriage was falling apart,” she said, rejecting speculation that her choice to not attend was a sign of issues in her marriage with former President Barack Obama.
“It’s like, while I’m here, really trying to own my life, and intentionally practice making the choice that was right for me,” she continued, “and it took everything in my power to not do the thing that was ‘right’ or that was perceived as ‘right,’ but do the thing that was right for me. That was a hard thing for me to do.”
“I’m still thinking about the example I’m setting for my daughters,” Obama added. “I want them to start practicing now, the art of saying no.”
